Deadline: 13-Jun-2024
Nominations are now open for the Victorian Early Years Awards (VEYA) to celebrate leadership, outstanding achievement, exceptional dedication and innovation in improving outcomes for children aged birth to eight years and their families.
The 9 award categories focus on improving engagement in learning, supporting parents, building collaborative community partnerships, improving child health and wellbeing, exemplary practice in early childhood education, leadership and significant improvement on learning and teaching practices.
Winners are recognised as the best in Victoria for their category and go on to develop and share their inspiring work with their communities. Winners of each category will receive a grant of $15,000 for professional development or to support their nominated initiative. The finalists in each category are also eligible to win the prestigious Minister’s Award, selected by the Minister for Children.
With the roll out of three year old kindergarten, there’s never been a better time to recognise and celebrate the great work happening every day in the early childhood sector.
Award Categories
- There are 9 award categories in the 2024 Victorian Early Years Awards.
- Improving Access and Participation in Early Learning
- This award recognises one or more early childhood services and/or organisations that are taking action to promote access, ongoing participation and engagement in early learning, particularly for families experiencing vulnerability and/or disadvantage.
- Supporting Parents to Build Their Capacity and Confidence
- This award recognises one or more early childhood services and/or organisations that are taking action to support families, parents and carers to feel confident and capable in their parenting role and recognises their role as the first and most important teachers in supporting their child’s learning and development.
- Creating Collaborative Community Partnerships
- This award recognises a collaborative partnership between two or more early childhood services and/or organisations that are taking action to promote collaborative practice that supports and demonstrate positive outcomes for children and families.
- Promoting Children’s Health and Wellbeing
- This award recognises one or more early childhood services and/or organisations that are taking action to improve health and wellbeing outcomes for young children.
- Continuity of Early Learning
- This award recognises two or more early childhood services, schools and/or other organisations that support continuity of early learning through successful transitions.
- Early Childhood Teacher of the Year
- This award recognises an early childhood teacher who has demonstrated evidence-based innovation and exemplary practice in early childhood education and care.
- Their nomination will demonstrate how they have made a significant contribution to the development and delivery of high-quality early childhood education programs and/or achieved significant improvements in children’s learning and development outcomes.
- The Emeritus Professor Collette Tayler Excellence in Educational Leadership Award
- This award recognises an educational leader, early childhood service, or an approved service provider that has led their educators and teachers to significantly improve the quality of their learning and teaching practices, with a focus on intentional teaching practices to achieve improved outcomes for Victorian children and their families.
- Aunty Rose Bamblett Koorie Early Years Legacy Award
- This award recognises one or more early childhood service/s that are demonstrating holistic service provision that engages Aboriginal children and families. The service builds Aboriginal perspectives and amplifies the voices and experiences of Koorie families and local community members through partnerships that enable self-determination.
- Educator of the Year Award
- This award recognises an early childhood educator who has demonstrated innovative and exemplary practice in early childhood education and care. Their nomination will demonstrate how they have made a significant contribution to the delivery of high-quality early childhood education programs and/or achieved significant improvements in children’s learning and development outcomes.
- The Minister’s Award
- This is awarded by the Minister for Children from the pool of finalists for an application that demonstrates exemplary practice and exceptional achievement in improving outcomes for young children.
- Finalists of each award category are automatically eligible for the Minister’s Award, which is selected by the Minister for Children. Applicants do not nominate for this category.
- Improving Access and Participation in Early Learning
Eligibility Criteria
- Awards are open to all early years professionals or early childhood education and care services operating or working in Victoria who meet the selection criteria detailed in the VEYA Nomination Guide, or as confirmed by the Department of Education (the department).
- Nominees for the Early Childhood Teacher of the Year Award must be a provisionally or fully registered early childhood teacher with the Victorian Institute of Teaching and currently employed in a Victorian licensed children’s or approved education and care service that receives state government funding to provide a kindergarten program.
- Nominees for the Educator of the Year Award:
- must have an ACECQA recognised certificate III or diploma qualified early childhood qualification.
- be currently employed in a Victorian licensed children’s or approved education and care service that receives state government funding to provide a kindergarten program.
- do not have to be working in the kindergarten program to be eligible for this category.
- who are upskilling and are already leading a kindergarten program under alternative funding arrangements are eligible to apply within this category.
- Nominees for the Emeritus Professor Collette Tayler Excellence in Educational Leadership Award must either be
- an approved early childhood education and care service or service provider that receives state government funding to deliver a kindergarten program
- an early childhood educational leader working in an approved early childhood education and care service that delivers a Victorian funded kindergarten program.
- Nominees may not enter the same initiative in more than one category.
- Previous individual award recipients are ineligible to be nominated for the current year awards in any individual category until the third year following their win. For example, a person who received the Early Childhood Teacher of the Year Award in 2023 is not eligible to be nominated until 2026 (and those nominated in 2020 are now eligible to be re-nominated).
- Early childhood service/organisation award recipients are not eligible to be nominated for any award category until the third year following their win. For example, an organisation that received an award in 2023 are not eligible to be nominated in any category until 2026.
- Award recipients of other state, national or international professional awards are eligible to be nominated for VEYA if they meet the eligibility criteria of the award category.
For more information, visit State Government of Victoria.